LIVE SOBERLY, RIGHTEOUSLY AND GODLY

 

 

                                      By A. W. Tozer

 

          The operations of grace within the heart of a believing man will turn that

          heart away from sin and toward holiness.

             “For the free gift of eternal salvation is now being offered to everyone;

         and along with this gift comes the realization that God wants us to turn from

         godless living and sinful pleasures and to live good, God-fearing lives day

         after day,  looking forward to that wonderful time we've been expecting, when

         His glory shall be seen­the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ”

                                                                                         -- Titus 2:11-13

                  I do not see how it could be plainer. The same grace that saves teaches

that saved man inwardly, and its teaching is both negative and positive. Negatively

it teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts.  Positively it teaches us to live

soberly, righteously and godly, right in this present world.

                  The man of honest heart will find no difficulty here.  He has but to check

his own bent­to discover whether he is concerned about sin in his life more, or

less since the supposed work of grace was done.

                 Anything that weakens his hatred of sin may be identified immediately

as false to the Scriptures, to the Saviour and to his own soul.  Whatever makes

holiness more attractive and sin more intolerable may be accepted as genuine.

                 “I know You get no pleasure from wickedness and cannot tolerate the

slightest sin.  Therefore, proud sinners will not survive Your searching gaze, for

how You hate their evil deeds.”                                         -­ Psalm 5:4,5

                   Jesus warned, "There shall arise false Christs, and false prophets,

         and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible,

         they should deceive the very elect."

                                                                                             --  Matthew 24:24.

                  These words describe our day too well to be coincidental.

In the hope that the “elect” may profit by them I have set forth these tests.

The result is in the hand of God.

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             Yours in Christ,

             Paul N. F.